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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hussar" data-source="post: 6076064" data-attributes="member: 22779">Perhaps a shorter thought on protagonism.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />  In 3e, if I'm playing a rogue, there are a number of creatures that are outright immune to my sneak attack.  I, as the player, have absolutely no control over this.  If we meet a number of plant monsters (for example), the mechanics of the game have taken me from "The master stabber" to "Commoner with a knife".  Thus, the mechanics have, by and large, removed me as a protagonist, at least in this encounter.  But, say we do an entire adventure featuring plant monsters.  Sure, I might do a bit of scouting, but, by and large, my other strengths - party talky guy, and party trap guy - are pretty much removed.  They're plants, they don't talk.  And, by and large, shambling mounds don't build traps.  At least, not very complex ones.So, now, for the next four sessions (or however long it takes to resolve the scenario), I'm largely warming the pines.  Very much de-protagonized.  If that's a word.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />Now, sure, the DM can get around this - he can add in other scenarios, he can simply not use this scenario, or whatever.  Sure, that's possible.  Or, we can change the base mechanics in such a way that the Rogue character is no longer sidelined.  Sneak attack works on everything is not a terribly bad house rule.  How does it work?  Well, that's for the table to decide, if they want to.I realize that this answer is not acceptable at some tables.  From prior conversations on these boards, I know that some groups want this sort of thing absolutely nailed down in concrete terms before play starts.  And that's fair.  That group should probably avoid scenarios which sideline single PC's for extended times.  And that's perfectly okay.  OTOH, in a system which does not deprotagonize (gack, that is such a terrible made up word) PC's, the DM is now free to create whatever scenario and then leave it to the players to determine how things work.</blockquote>

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